Entries from Locations
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Good evening from Lukla!
Our trek has come to an end. We descended the last two days from Khumjung to Lukla, under the best weather we could have for the long journey back towards our starting point, after closing the loop in Namche.
While tired, it felt good to see the many trekkers on this section of the trail shared with the main Everest Base Camp route. Why? Because now we appreciate even more the solitude of the Gokyo Trek.
The air became thicker, and the lodges warmer. We celebrated tonight at our tea house in Lukla with a good dinner and our support crew, who really helped us in making our journey not only more pleasant, but actually feasible.
We're hoping to fly to Kathmandu tomorrow, weather permitting, and officially close our program.
Shuva Rattri from the Himalaya!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Today we returned to Lonquimay for redemption! Our team summited in perfect weather with views of eight volcanoes to the north and south. Skiing conditions off the top were perfection. Now we are getting ready for one of the most important events of this trip: Sergio’s famous asado.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Good evening from Khumjung.
We had a great day descending below the 4000m mark. We left Dole under a shy sunshine that soon got completely covered by the clouds and once more, that added to mysticism of the area.
Descending in Nepal doesn't mean going down, but losing elevation after computing the ups and downs of the day. So, we climbed Mong La Pass, the windy birth place of Lama Thsen Thsen. For a minute, we could get a glimpse of Ama Dablam in the distance. She showed us its summit behind the foggy skies that forced the sporadic helicopter to fly underneath.
We arrived to Khumjung in time for an early lunch. This town is a real Himalayan town, where tourism hasn't changed much in the way of living for the local families. With a population of 800, and the famous Sir Edmund Hilary School and Hospital, or the yak farm, it feels like the most acquainted town yet in the trip.
Tomorrow we'll make another push downhill, with our minds starting to hope for good weather, so flights can again make it in-and-out of Lukla.
Shuva Rattri. (Good night in Nepali)
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
This morning we awoke to flapping tent fabric and snow blowing all over the place. Not what the forecast predicted. So we dragged our feet and sipped our coffee slowly. Our “alpine start” consisted of skinning out of camp at 10am. It was a battle with the wind for the first couple hours but things got better as we got higher. As the terrain steepened, we put our skis on our backs and cramponed up steep, styrofoam snow. Avoiding the evil ice patches was the name of the game, but as we got higher the permanent ice formations were unavoidable. The summit of Llaima is one of the worst optical illusions I’ve ever experienced, and today was no different. It just doesn’t get any closer, despite seeming close. On top we took some pictures and tripped out on the super young lava rock, some of which is less than 10 years old! The skiing was not good until a couple thousand feet lower - and then, it was really good. Another amazing day in Araucanía.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Yesterday we had a great ski tour on Lonquimay, climbing above the clouds. We didn’t quite make the summit due to avalanche conditions that had formed overnight with steady wind loading on the face we were hoping to ski. But we might try again later in the week. For now we’re headed out the door for Llaima!
Stay tuned, and photos to come...
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Namaste from Dole -
We have started our descent down valley, from our highest point reached yesterday, and our highest night spent in the Himalaya, at Gokyo.
By merging into "almost" the main route to Everest Base Camp, we have started to see more people, making us gain a greater sense of accomplishment. The whether has kept us cool, and while the misty afternoon clouds have let us get a glimpse of new summits, like the impressive Cholatse, they have now fully come down upon us, adding a great deal of mysticism to the Buddhist landscape.
We'll be reporting from Khumjung tomorrow, as we continue to move downhill.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos
Greetings from our camp on Llaima. We’re nicely nestled in at 7,000’ and the weather is beautiful. The winds are mellowing out and we’re looking forward to what is supposed to be a nice day tomorrow. Today was a fun adventure getting here including two hours of exciting four-wheel drive roads. This afternoon we went for a little scenic tour above camp and got some amazing views of the surrounding volcanoes. All is great with us...
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Good evening from Gokyo. We crossed the apex of our journey, the Renjo La Pass and we made it to the highest village on the way to Cho Oyu, the 6th tallest mountain of the world. We definitely had to put a big fight, since the trail not only climbs to 17,700ft, but it does so on a challenging path, both up and down. Nonetheless, the views from the vantage point, are, in words of the team, "worth the trip". Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Gyachung Kang... were only some of the peaks that rewarded our tough climb.
We're now headed to bed with full stomachs, eager to see the views from this side of the Khumbu for the remainder of the trip.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Hola Amigos,
We had a nice day of sunny powder skiing as our reintroduction to ski season. A meter and a half of new snow has fallen in the last couple weeks and the coverage is excellent. We took advantage of the spinning chairlifts today and got eight laps in, with the company of our host Sergio, and a small fox. Only one person fell off the chairlift today! (from a low altitude). And he will be hearing about it for the rest of the trip.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Posted by: Brent Okita, Bryan Mazaika
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Bryan Mazaika spent a stormy night at Camp Muir. They woke very early in the morning to blowing snow and whiteout conditions that forced the team to go back to bed for a few hours. They woke up again for breakfast, and the skies started clearing. The team decided to make the best of the morning and are going for a walk to Ingraham Flats so that they can see the upper mountain. This is the final climb of Mt. Rainier for our 2018 season, they will enjoy this views from the flats before heading back to Paradise.
Congratulations team!
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